Impregnable security blanket planned around venue and the city

With the time ticking away for the start of the World Telugu Conference (WTC), the temple city of Tirupati, which will host the mega event, is humming with activities. So much so that the Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising about half-a-dozen ministers besides the Chairman of the State Cultural Council, specially constituted to oversee the arrangements for the high-profile event, is meeting at Tirupati on Monday to take stock of the situation.

The Ministers along with other senior officials are expected to visit the Veterinary College grounds, the main venue where arrangements are at feverish pitch to put in place a mammoth auditorium to accommodate about 10,000 delegates and a huge podium.

The ministers are likely to take a look at another five smaller auditoriums coming up close-by to host events meant to show-case the socio-cultural and literary facets of the Telugus.

The committee comprising ministers D.K. Aruna, Vatti Vasantha Kumar, D. Parthasarathy and others will wrap up the 3-hour programme with a review meeting to be attended by the Executive Officer of the TTD, District Collector, Chittoor, top state police officials and others including senior engineers of the TTD, R&B, Electricity department.

Security blanket

Meanwhile, an impregnable security blanket is being sought to be provided around the venue and the whole city as well in view of the visit of not only the President Pranab Mukherjee but several other top dignitaries as well, besides a huge contingent of delegates from home and abroad, not to speak of the numerous cultural troupes.

IG of Police (Rayalaseema) Govind Singh and the DIG, Anantapur Range, Charu Sinha along with the SPs of Tirupati Urban Police and Chittoor are said to be working on a tight security frame-work. A posse of forces representing different security agencies armed with latest gadgets are expected to be deployed at all vulnerable points both in the town and at the sprawling venue.

Carrot and stick policy

Meanwhile, in view of a marked lack of enthusiasm among the local traders and business establishments to have their sign boards and publicity hoardings in Telugu despite repeated appeals from the WTC organisers, the Tirupati Corporation authorities are adopting a ‘carrot and stick’ policy to make the traders fall in line.

Starting with ‘Gandhigiri’—a gentle reminder by offering them a rose flower each, the civic authorities are also subtly warning them that they might lose their licences if they failed to respond to the requests.

To build the tempo for the WTC, the educational institutions have started holding many literary and cultural events like Bhuvana Vijayam, Kavi Sammelanams etc.

Slideshow

Workers carryingout repairs to Visakhapatnam District Collector's Office, as it was damaged in Cyclone Hudhud in 2014 October. The majestic heritage building was designed and built by Dutch engineering company Gannon Dunkerly in 1865 and completed by 1914. Photos: C.V. Subrahmanyam